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UPDATED: 11 a.m.
Monday morning, several businesses at Broad and Chew streets, across from the Olney Transportation Center, went up in flames. Thick, black smoke filled the air of the North Philadelphia neighborhood.
Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel said the fire was probably connected to the rioting and looting from Sunday night, but they don't yet know the cause.
"Certainly affected by some of the unrest we had here," Thiel said, but he added the cause is being investigated.
"Fire is a problem for us in this city all the time. This has magnified it."
Officials say around 12:30 a.m. they spotted a fire at Kensington Avenue and F Street from a helicopter. Flames and smoke poured out of several businesses, including a Rent-A-Center.
Thiel says they’re not sure if this, too, was related to any of the weekend's unrest. He said investigators will try to find who is responsible.
"Arson is a crime. We’re gonna prosecute those crimes."
Thiel has a message for those who may be setting fires intentionally.
"The folks you’re putting at risk when you’re doing that are our neighbors. They’re our residents. They’re people we protect. If you live here and setting fires, they’re your neighbors," he said.
He says some of the businesses affected in the city have apartments above, so he’s concerned about residents being seriously hurt, or worse. And he's concerned about the workload of his firefighters.
"My biggest worry is how long we can keep up with this pace," he said.